Power-transmitting mechanism for motor-vehicles.



PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

L. W. CAMPBELL. POWER TRANSMITTING MEGHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 4, 1904.

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No. 788,719. PATENTEI) FEB. 28, 1905.

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Thtirnn STATES Patented February 28, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

LEUN W. CAMPBELL, OF W OONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

POWEH-TRANSMITTING MECHANISM FOR MGTOFt-VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 783,719, dated February 28, 1905.

Application filed May 4, 1904:. Serial No. 206,882.

new and useful lmprovem cuts in Po\ver-.l.rans' mitting Mechanism for lVTotor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to means for transmitting power from one shaft to another, the driven shaft being movable endwise in the are of a circle relatively to the driving-shaft. The invention relates particularly to means for transmitting power from the driving-axle of a motor-vehicle to the shafts or axles of the steering-wheel.

The invention has for its object to provide simple and effective means for imparting motion from a driving-shaft to a driven shaft in such manner to obviate the necessity of using dilferential gearing and to provide a compact form of connecting or power-transmittin mechanism which can be readily boxed in and protected from mud and dirt.

The invention consists in a power-transmit ting mechanism comprising a driving-shaft, a driven shaft, which is movable endwise in a segmental path relatively to the driving shaft, and intermeshing gears afiixed to said shafts and formed to permit the described cndwise movement of the driven shaft with out affecting the operative connection between the gears.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure l re n'esents a top view of the driving shaft or axle and the steering-wheels of a motor-vehicle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 9.. Fig. 4 represents a side view, partly in section, showing the gears detached from the shafts. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a see tion on line 6 6 of Fig. 4:.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

1n the drawings, a represents the front axle or drivingshaft of a motor-vehicle, the same being journaled in the usual or any suitable bearings t .7), connected with the frame of the vehicle. The shaft (0 is constructed so that f f' having yoltes or extensions f, which are pivoted atf' to arms or brackets aflixed to the bearings of. the driving-shaft, so that the axles of the steeringwheels have the usual endwise movement in a segmental path relatively to the driving-shaft. The gears (X (Z are relatively narrow-that is to say, the teeth are considerably shorter than the segmental teeth of the gears c. The form of the gears c and (Z, as illustrated in the drawings, is such that the gears (Z are adapted to occupy the various angular positions relatively to the gears 0 (indicated by full and dotted lines in Fig. 4-) without affecting the operative connection between the gears. Hence movement may be imparted from the driving-shaft to the steering-wheel through said gears when the steering-wheels are at any angle that may be required in steering the vehicle.

It will be seen that the gears c and (Z constitute a verysimple andeflective connection between the driving-shaft and the steering-wheel shafts compensating for all the relative movements of the steering-wheel. This improved connection between the shafts enables the driving-shaft to be rotated at a unit or single part by power imparted through a spur-gear or sprocketwheel r afiixed to the shaft and obviates the necessity of dividing the shaft and employing dilferentia-lgears.

1. Amotor-vehicle running-frame, compris ing a transverse tubular member adapted to support one end of the vehicle-body, an extension fork or yoke affixed to each end of said member, a driving-axle adapted to rotate in said member and having projecting ends within said yokes, partially spherical drivinggears aflixed to the ends of said axle, steering-- yokes vertically pivoted to said extensionyokes on lines passingthrough the centers of said gears, wheel-axles journaled in said steering-yokes and adapted to stand normally in alinement with each other and parallel to said driving-axle, each wheel-axle having affixed thereto a traction-wheel and a pinion inter meshing with its adjacent driving-gear, and means connecting said steering-yokes whereby they may be simultaneously swung about their pivots.

2. Amotor-vehicle running-frame, comprising a transverse tubular member adapted to support one end of the body, a driving-shaft mounted to rotate in said tubular member and projecting therefrom at each end, a spur-gear in the form of the central zone of a sphere, afiixed to each end of said shaft, wheel-axles supported adjacent to said gears and normally in alinement with each other and parallel to said driving-axle but adapted to swing in a horizontal plane on an arc of which the center is coincident with that of said spur-gears, spurpinions aflixed to said wheel-axles and adapted to intermesh with said wheel-axles, and means connecting said wheel-axles whereby they may be simultaneously swung in their respective arcs without deranging the intermeshed relation of said spur-pinions to said spur-gears.

3. A power-transmitting mechanism comprising a d riving-shaft, a driven shaft, movabl y supported with relation to the driving-shaft, and intermeshing spur-gears aflixed to said shafts, one of said gears being elongated and having a varying diameter which decreases from the center to the ends giving the teeth a segmental form, while the other gear is relatively narrow and is movable in a path substantially parallel with the segmental teeth with which it is engaged.

4. A power-transmitting mechanism comprising a single driving-shaft, two gears aflixed thereto and having segmental or longitudinally convex teeth, and driven shafts journaled in pivoted bearings and provided with gears which mesh with the gears on the drivingshaft.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEON W. CAMPBELL.

l/Vitnesses:

R. M. PIERSON, C. C. STEOHER. 

